Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
Debt is at a record high level among young adults ages 18 to 29. Aside from college tuition and prices of other necessary expenditures being on the rise, another causation for the high levels of debt is a majority of young adults do not possess the knowledge or the necessary…
Debt is at a record high level among young adults ages 18 to 29. Aside from college tuition and prices of other necessary expenditures being on the rise, another causation for the high levels of debt is a majority of young adults do not possess the knowledge or the necessary skill set to manage their own personal finances. Through preliminary research, it was found that twenty-one states in the United States claim to require a personal finance course; however, each personal finance “course requirement” varies on definition and application by state. Only ten states require a one semester non-substitutable (not replaceable with a similar course) personal finance course in order to graduate. In addition to this, no colleges/universities were found to require a personal finance course before the completion of an undergraduate degree program. Since these educational intuitions are deemed responsible for “preparing the youth and young adults for the adult world,” research was conducted to determine how financially literate current young adults are and where the source of their knowledge stems from. A quantitative survey of one-hundred-and-thirty-three anonymous young adults (18-25 years old) was conducted to inquire on confidence levels, knowledge of financial terminology, and the application of that terminology to common life situations. Results showed that individuals were familiar with terminology but not its application. The survey also revealed that young adults are not confident with handling large financial decisions, nor do most young adults practice healthy financial habits (i.e., budgeting). In addition to the survey, personal interviews of ten individuals were conducted in order to evaluate more expansive results. The interviewed participants also did not budget and gave various reasons for it: not necessary, do not have major expenses, and/or have an inconsistent income. In the survey and the interview, it was concluded that young adults primarily give credit to their parents versus formal education in the schools they attended/currently attend for their financial knowledge. Therefore, based on the preliminary research and the survey and interviews conducted, this paper further explains the rationale for and benefits of implementing a non-substitutable personal finance course within secondary and higher educational institutions and challenges associated with doing so.
